Barzaari Chippendale opens within The Old Clare Hotel

Barzaari Chippendale will open on the ground floor of The Old Clare Hotel today, offering a modern take on eastern Mediterranean cuisine from Cyprus, Syria, Lebanon and Egypt.

Barzaari Chippendale will seat up to 120 guests and serve lunch and dinner Tuesday- Saturday and lunch on Sunday. Guests of the hotel will able to enjoy in-room dining from Barzaari Chippendale and patrons of the Clare Bar can order off a specially designed menu.

Chef Darryl Martin said “We are excited to be opening Barzaari Chippendale. It will have the same principles as Barzaari Marrickville, focusing on moving seasons with authentic and quality ingredients, just a different offering. I wanted to create a menu for guests that would be welcoming and inviting, the same way I enjoy these foods when I experience them throughout the eastern Mediterranean region. Barzaari’s menu is best designed for sharing to celebrate this inclusive culture.”

To start, guests can explore bites and small plates, which include Barzaari’s signature and modern-take on ‘tiropitakia’ – fava leaf, feta, burnt honey and lemon – alongside new additions such as ‘pastourma’ – stuffed pickled eggplant with toum – and raw kingfish with peas, lemon jam and basil, falafel and sunflower.

For a substantial meal, large plates include hapuka on vine leaf with almond tahini and spiced barley; beef short rib with chermoula, hummus and salted sumac onions; and a delectable beetroot and turnip tart with fresh curd, mustard seed and pumpkin a la grecque.

There are also a number of vegan dishes available to guests, such as purslane salad – fresh and pickled with garlic yoghurt and bulgur – and a mother-in-law salad with cabbage, maple mayo, sesame and caper leaf.

The menu finishes with a range of desserts and smaller sweet alternatives, including blistered buttermilk ricotta with rhubarb, buckwheat crumb, rose and honeycomb, through to orange blossom marshmallow, loukoumi, and soujouko from Athienou, Cyprus. These are perfectly paired with Barzaari’s signature sandpit coffee and the favourite – baklava, with safflower and whole almond ice-cream.

Barzaari’s drinks list comprises modern and classic cocktails, alongside a generous wine list, with most bottles under $100, as well as a unique list of craft beers, both local and from the eastern Mediterranean.

Barzaari owners, Chef Darryl Martin and Andrew Jordanou, have partnered with Loh Lik Peng of Unlisted Collection who said “Barzaari brings a bold new cuisine to the precinct and will further cement Chippendale’s reputation as one of Sydney’s best food and cultural destinations.”

Designed by award-winning architects Neri & Hu and executed by Matt Darwon, the sophisticated contemporary design of the restaurant and private mezzanine dining space will remain true to The Old Clare Hotel’s rich heritage. Giuseppe Arcimboldo’s ‘The Four Seasons’ mural, first seen at Barzaari Marrickville, will also feature in Chippendale.